There's a Giraffe in my Classroom!

The giraffe in the class (above) ^ and the giraffe rock (right) >

Through the Eyes of the Child: ages 5 & 6 years old

This is part of an ongoing, year-long project that included the interweavings of outdoor and indoor play environments in my classroom of five and six year old children. One of our many invitations included a stop-frame animation area and access to all and any of the loose parts within our classroom. Children were taught how to use the camera, how to move the colourful cast of characters to achieve the effect of motion within their story and then we allowed lots of time for the child's imagination and creativity to unfold. This was not a one-off 'activity' but an ongoing invitation to explore this medium as a way of expressing a story line. Once introduced, the children were left to their own devises to create. No teachers (no adults) were present while the children created their stories. Children chose their storyline, their cast of characters, loose parts, props, stage-set and with camera and stand in hand, they set their imaginations free.